SRI LANKA WILL DIPLOMATICALLY REJECT THE MCC – MINISTER
Vasudewa Nanayakkara, a former Marxist Minister of Sri Lanka’s ruling coalition led by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said that the country will deny the Millenium Challenge Compact with the US.
The Minister expressed these views in an interview with Mawbima”Sinhala language newspaper on Sunday.
“You passionately protested the MCC before the election. Now it is under scrutiny and what will happen in future?” the journalist asked.
The Minister answered, “We will never sign it even though we are studying it as a diplomatic process. We have to make even the rejection diplomatically.”
The preliminary report of the Committee of Experts appointed to study the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) agreement was handed over to President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat on February 17th.
The four-member special committee is headed by Professor Lalithsiri Gunaruwan of the University of Colombo and comprises former Secretary to the Ministry of Transport DS Jayaweera, President’s Counsel Nihal Jayawardena and Architect Nalaka Jayaweera.
US$ 480 million grant was offered under the MCC Agreement to upgrade the transportation infrastructure and improve land management, covering the entire country.
Photo: The committee handing over the report to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa
